Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Air Pollution: Staffordshire

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has spent on reducing air pollution in Staffordshire in each of the last five years.

Rebecca Pow: Under the 2017 UK Plan for Tackling Roadside Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) Concentrations, Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council are required to take action to address NO2 pollution and develop plans to bring levels to within legal limits. The councils have received funding as follows to develop and implement their local plan to address NO2 exceedances: 2018 - £900,000; 2019 - £1,303,128; 2020 - £240,000; 2021 - £1,808,836 Defra also provides funding to English councils through the Air Quality Grant to help them develop and implement locally targeted measures. In 2021 Staffordshire County Council received over £ 296,000 from the air quality grant to support air quality improvement locally.

Air Pollution: Warwickshire

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has spent on reducing air pollution in Warwickshire in each of the last five years.

Rebecca Pow: Under the 2017 UK Plan for Tackling Roadside Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) Concentrations, Coventry City Council are required to take action to address NO2 pollution and develop plans to bring levels to within legal limits. The council have received funding as follows to develop and implement their local plan to address NO2 exceedances: 2018 - £2,621,000; 2019 - £5 million; 2020 - £20 million; 2021 - £947,000.

Water Companies

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many times Ministers met water companies between 1 June and 31 August 2022; and how many of those meetings were on (a) leaking water pipes and (b) drought preparedness.

Rebecca Pow: Then Defra Secretary of State George Eustice and Minister Steve Double met with the CEOs of all water companies on the 10 Aug 2022 to discuss their current water supplies and precautionary measures to safeguard water supplies through summer and autumn. This included discussions on responding to leakage. Minister Double met separately with the South West Water and Affinity Water. Further information on ministerial meetings can be found here - Defra's ministerial meetings, July to September 2022 - GOV.UK (publishing.service.gov.uk) In addition, Minister Double attended the National Drought Group (NDG) on 12 and 23 August 2022. This group is made up of senior decision-makers from the Environment Agency, government, water companies and key representative groupsdiscuss the response to the dry weather and leakage.

Inland Waterways: Sewage

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps to increase detection of the discharge of sewage into waterways.

Rebecca Pow: We have increased the number of storm overflows monitored across the network from 7% in 2010 to 91% now monitored, and we will reach 100% cover by end of this year. In April, we launched our consultation on Continuous Water Quality Monitoring and Event Duration Monitoring. This outlines the government’s proposals to enhance the monitoring of storm overflow and final effluent discharges and to report on this in near-real time. The Environment Agency has instructed water companies to install new flow monitors on more than 2,000 wastewater treatment works to identify what is happening at those works during the sewage treatment process itself. The Environment Agency and Ofwat have recently launched the largest criminal and civil investigations into water company sewage discharges ever, at over 2200 treatment works, following new data coming to light as a result of increased monitoring.

Drinking Water Inspectorate: Staff

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff were employed by the Drinking Water Inspectorate in each of the last five years.

Rebecca Pow: The number of staff employed in the Drinking Water inspectorate between 2018 and 2023 as at 30 April each year is shown below. Headcount30 April 20194230 April 20204330 April 20214730 April 20225130 April 202350

Water: Shortages

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of fines issued for breaking hosepipe bans by each water company in each of the last five years.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many hosepipe bans have been issued by each water company in each of the last five years.

Rebecca Pow: Defra does not hold the information requested. I would advise the hon. Member to contact the relevant water companies directly or Water UK, the independent membership body representing the UK water industry.

Water: Standards

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many samples taken by the Drinking Water Inspectorate did not meet regulatory standards 100 per cent of the time in each of the last five years.

Rebecca Pow: The Drinking Water Inspectorate does not itself take routine samples. The water companies carry out a statutory sampling programme including randomly selected consumer taps and send all the results to the Inspectorate in a monthly return. The Inspectorate assesses compliance with the sampling programme and breaches of the regulatory standards for parameters. The annual breakdown of this total is as follows: Number of compliance failures Year20172018201920202021Total15631479150812751230

Water Companies: Staff

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many employees of (a) the Environment Agency, (b) Ofwat and (c) the Drinking Water Inspectorate previously worked for water companies.

Rebecca Pow: The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.

Drinking Water: Contamination

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of how much was spent by water companies on removing (a) pesticides and (b) nitrates from drinking water supplies in each of the last five years.

Rebecca Pow: Ongoing general expenditure information for pesticide and nitrate removal is not collated or held on an annual basis by the Drinking Water Inspectorate.

Sewage: Coastal Areas

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential economic impact of sewage discharges on coastal communities.

Rebecca Pow: The Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan was published in August 2022, alongside an Impact Assessment which considers costs and benefits of the final targets to businesses, the public, wider society and government spending where applicable.

Water: Standards

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many discoloration events were recorded by the Drinking Water Inspectorate in each of the last five years.

Rebecca Pow: During the period 2017 to 2021 the DWI was notified of a total of 499 discolouration events by water companies in England and Wales. The annual breakdown of this total is as follows: Number of discolouration eventsYear20172018201920202021TotalTotal127109937694499

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many sewage leaks have been recorded within their Department's estate in the last twelve months.

Rebecca Pow: Defra has had no sewage leaks on our estate over the last 12 months.

Water: Contamination

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many investigations were conducted by the Drinking Water Inspectorate into potential contaminated water supplies in each of the last five years.

Rebecca Pow: The DWI conducts investigations to an appropriate degree for each drinking water quality event notified by water companies. For the period 2017 to 2021 there were a total of 2465 events in England and Wales investigated by the DWI. The annual breakdown of this total is as follows: Events in England and WalesYear20172018201920202021TotalTotal5035325464174672465

Water Companies

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many water company (a) cautions, (b) prosecutions and (c) minded to enforce notices were brought by the Drinking Water Inspectorate in each of the last five years.

Rebecca Pow: The following tables summarise cautions and prosecutions for the period 2017 to 2021. a) Number of cautions 2017-2021Number of cautionsYear20172018201920202021Total12030  b) Number of prosecutions 2017-2021*Number of prosecutionsYear20172018201920202021Total22200 * Due to the COVID pandemic the Courts were closed and there have been subsequent backlogs. Prosecutions recommenced in 2022 (two companies were prosecuted during the period) and we have ongoing prosecutions in 2023. There is no ‘minded to enforce notice’ as stated in the question. The Drinking Water Inspectorate issues minded to enforce letters that are communications to companies and they are not notices. They form part of the enforcement process that may or may not result in a legal instrument notice. We have therefore collated the number of legal instruments we have issued to water companies in the period 2017 to 2021. c) Legal instrumentsLegal instrumentsYear20172018201920202021Total9571365369

Animal Feed and Food: Insects

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help ensure compliance with health regulations as the insects as food and feed industry expands.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to promote safe environmental practices in the insects as food and feed industry.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the environmental impact of the agricultural industry using insects as animal feed.

Mark Spencer: Defra has recently commissioned a scientific review on the use of insects as animal feed, including examining the evidence around nutritional, socio-economic and environmental considerations.

Animal Feed and Food: Insects

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what safeguards her Department plans to introduce to minimise the risk of insect farming contributing to antimicrobial resistance.

Mark Spencer: The UK Government is committed to reducing unnecessary use of antibiotics in animals, while safeguarding animal welfare. Since 2014, the UK has reduced sales of veterinary antibiotics by 55% making the UK one of the lowest users of veterinary antibiotics across Europe. The government takes a ‘One-Health’ approach to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as set out in the UK’s current National Action Plan (2019-2024) on AMR. The next five year NAP is currently under development, and will be adaptable to deal with evolving and emerging AMR risks to support the UK Government’s 20 year vision to contain and control AMR by 2040. There are no antibiotic veterinary medicines authorised for use in insects. All applications for marketing authorisations for veterinary medicines are assessed by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate for quality, safety and efficacy and must demonstrate a positive benefit-risk balance. If the application is for an antibiotic, data on the potential emergence of resistant organisms of clinical relevance and measures to limit resistance development must be provided as part of this assessment.

Countryside: Access

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department has made on increasing access to nature through (a) improved maintenance of footpaths, (b) increasing the network of footpaths and (c) expansions of the freedom to roam.

Trudy Harrison: England already has a fantastic network of paths with some 120,000 miles of linear access through England’s countryside, but we are taking steps to improve this further. For example, the Bridlington to Filey stretch of the King Charles III England Coast Path was recently opened, connecting thousands of people to the Yorkshire coast. Over 850 miles of the path are now open to the public and, when complete, it will be the longest waymarked and maintained coastal walking route in the world at 2,700 miles. We are also designating Wainwright’s Coast to Coast route across the north of England as a new National Trail, crossing some of our most precious national landscapes making it accessible to cyclists and horse riders where it is feasible to do so. We are delivering the £14.5 million ‘Access for All’ programme, which consists of a package of targeted measures in our protected landscapes, national trails, forests and the wider countryside to make access to green and blue spaces more inclusive. More than £3.5 million has already been spent on making our protected landscapes more accessible, including on creating and improving footpaths to ensure that the countryside is accessible to everyone. We are also improving the way in which rights of way are recorded by implementing a package of reforms to reduce bureaucracy and speed up the process for new rights of way to be added to the legal record for everyone to enjoy. Local highway authorities are responsible for the management and maintenance of existing public rights of way and are required to keep a Rights of Way Improvement Plan to plan improvements to the rights of way network in their area. This must include an assessment of the local rights of way including the condition of the network. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 provides for a right to roam across open access land, giving the public a right of access to most areas of mountain, moor, heath, down, registered common land and coastal margin. This means that the public already has the ‘right to roam’ over many areas of wild, open countryside. We have no plans to change this. We set out our commitment to the provision of safe and appropriate public access in as many woodlands as possible in the England Trees Action Plan. The Environmental Improvement Plan reiterates our commitment to publish our ambition for improving the quantity, quality, and permanency of woodland access. Through programmes with the Community Forests and Forestry England we are enabling creation of large scale publicly accessible woodlands near towns and cities. For instance, as part of our ‘Access for All’ programme we are providing over £3 million to Forestry England to increase access to green and blue spaces in our most deprived urban areas. We continue to support land managers to provide woodland access through our Countryside Stewardship and England Woodland Creation Offer schemes. Under the new Environmental Land Management offer, for woodlands, we are providing societal benefits by bringing people closer to nature, allowing long-term permissive access for recreation and contributing to the rural economy. The Department for Transport is investing in active travel. This includes delivering thousands of miles of safe, continuous routes for cycling and creating Active Travel England to support local authorities to deliver ambitious and transformational schemes. The Transport Secretary appointed Chris Boardman as National Active Travel Commissioner in June 2022. This Government has done more than any other when it comes to walking and cycling. Around 250 more miles of walking and cycling routes have been opened since 2020 and we remain fully committed to the ambitious vision that by 2030 half of all journeys in towns and cities are walked or cycled. This is in addition to the objectives outlined in the second Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS2). This Government absolutely understands the importance of active travel. That is why we are investing more than any other government, over £3 billion, into this area. This includes at least £100 million capital funding over the two-year period 2023/24 to 2024/25 for active travel infrastructure, following on from £850 million investment in the three years up to 2022/23. We also committed in our 2020 Gear Change plan commits to improve the National Cycle Network (NCN), recognising the vital importance of the NCN in enabling everyone to walk, wheel and cycle safely and easily. Last year Sustrans was awarded £25 million to support and expand the NCN. Active Travel England will work to ensure that this wider funding supports delivery of the objectives in CWIS2 including the need for projects to conform with national design guidance. Active travel remains at the heart of this Government’s agenda and the Department will continue to ensure that it is given the priority it deserves.

Department for Education

Department for Education: Travellers

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to ensure that the categorisations used by her Department for collecting data on the ethnicity of Gypsy, Traveller and Roma people are consistent with those used by the Office of National Statistics.

Nick Gibb: The Department follows the Office of National Statistics (ONS) and Government Statistical Service (GSS) harmonised standards for collecting and/or presenting statistics. More details about codes, along with information on how the codes were chosen, is available at: https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/style-guide/ethnic-groups.The ONS lead cross Government work to harmonise data, including on ethnicity. The Department continues to be part of this ongoing work and will look to introduce any recommendations when they are made. Further information is available at: https://analysisfunction.civilservice.gov.uk/policy-store/gss-harmonisation-team-workplan/#ethnicity.

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many sewage leaks have been recorded within their Department's estate in the last twelve months.

Nick Gibb: There have been two sewage leaks within the Department’s office estate within the last 12 months. The leaks were contained within the building and rectified quickly.

Primary Education: Artificial Intelligence

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of artificial intelligence on the education of children in primary schools.

Nick Gibb: Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to transform society. The effective use of technology can help to improve outcomes and we are exploring how AI can support teaching, as well as addressing its risks.The Department has published a policy paper which sets out our position on the use of generative AI in the education sector. The paper outlines the potential effects of generative AI on the education sector including the opportunities for reducing teacher workload, risks to assessment and steps the education sector should take to protect pupil data, as well as resources, staff and pupils.The Department is also convening experts to work with the education sector to share and identify best practice and opportunities to improve education and reduce workload.The Department will keep our programme of measures under review to ensure we identify the best ways to address the risks and opportunities AI presents, including continuing to establish a strong evidence base for technology in education.

Joshua Sutcliffe

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will hold discussions with the Teaching Regulation Agency on the adequacy of its guidelines on (a) misgendering and (b) preferred pronouns, in the context of the case of Joshua Sutcliffe.

Nick Gibb: Guidance on ‘Teacher misconduct: the prohibition of teachers’ (the Advice) sets out the arrangements for the regulatory system relating to teacher misconduct. These arrangements are operated by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA), an executive agency of the Department, which acts on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education, as the regulator of the teaching profession. The Advice is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-misconduct-the-prohibition-of-teachers--3.The Advice sets out the factors to be considered by an independent professional conduct panel convened by the TRA for the purposes of regulating the teaching profession. The Advice is used to inform panel considerations, findings and recommendations to the Secretary of State about whether to impose a prohibition order on a teacher. A panel must consider each case on its own merits. The decision maker who acts on behalf of the Secretary of State also uses the Advice when considering the panel’s recommendation and in deciding whether to make a prohibition order.Given the independent nature of the panel, it would be inappropriate for the Secretary of State to comment on the specifics of any case or look to direct a panel in any way.

Arts: Vocational Education

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of establishing a national Technical University in England to focus on the teaching of technical arts.

Robert Halfon: The department is investing £300 million in capital funding to establish 21 Institutes of Technology across the country. Institutes of Technology are collaborations between employers, colleges and universities that provide access to industry standard facilities, focusing on meeting the needs of employers and learners in their specific local areas. That includes provision aimed at the creative industries across a diverse range of subjects including music production, animation & games design, 3D and graphic design, creative and media professions and Esports.

Department of Health and Social Care

Hospital Beds

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of what hospital bed capacity will be in each region in each of the next five years.

Will Quince: It is for local National Health Service commissioners and providers, rather than the Department, to take decisions on local demand and capacity, including future hospital bed capacity, based on their assessments of local population and patient needs.Our delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services has set a national ambition to increase general and acute bed capacity by 5,000.

Dentistry: Training

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Government has to help increase the number of dental school places.

Will Quince: The Government continues to keep the number of dental school places that it funds under review.NHS England has been commissioned to produce a long-term National Health Service workforce plan. The Government has committed to publishing the plan shortly and this will include projections for the number of doctors, nurses and other professionals that will be needed in five, 10- and 15-years’ time, taking full account of improvements in retention and productivity. The workforce plan is for the whole of the NHS workforce, including dentists.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his Department's policies the BBC Panorama investigation in May 2023 into private clinic (a) assessment and (b) treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Maria Caulfield: There are no current plans to make this specific assessment. NHS England is aware of the recent report by BBC Panorama and is currently considering the content.It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population. We are clear that assessments and treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder should be provided in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.We are supporting ICBs to expand mental health services through the NHS Long Term Plan, which commits to increasing investment into mental health services by at least £2.3 billion a year by March 2024 so that an additional two million people can get the support they need.

Hospital Wards: Transgender People

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department issues guidance to NHS trusts on the accommodation of transgender patients in hospitals.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England publishes guidance to all National Health Service trusts on how they should deliver same sex accommodation in order to eliminate mixed sex accommodation breaches in NHS hospitals. This includes information regarding how trusts should accommodate transgender patients. NHS England’s guidance is currently being updated and a revised version will be published in due course.

Incontinence: Products

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps with (a) NHS Supply Chain and (b) other purchasing managers in (i) the NHS and (ii) social care systems to ensure that their approach to procuring absorbent continence products is (A) value-based and (B) patient-centred.

Will Quince: NHS Supply Chain (NHSSC) have a disposable and washable continence care framework in place that suppliers are awarded onto using an evaluation methodology, with each tender evaluated based on the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT). Financial and non-financial evaluations are undertaken independently of each other.NHSSC conduct significant engagement with colleagues across health and social care to ensure that the customer voice is captured and National Health Service requirements understood. NHSSC engage with suppliers, trade associations, professional bodies and expert reference groups to ensure robust and sustainable frameworks are put in place for the longer term, both commercially and from a supply resilience perspective, whilst meeting the functional and safety needs of customers and patients.In addition, the Government's new Medical Technology Strategy, published in February 2023, commits to developing an environment that supports the understanding and delivery of value for money and affordability across the whole patient pathway, using high-quality data to ensure that prices are reasonable for both the health system and sustainable for suppliers.The application and adoption of Value Based Procurement in the NHS is a key priority under the strategy in order to realise the potential of medical technology to improve patient outcomes and support the NHS workforce.

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many sewage leaks have been recorded within their Department's estate in the last twelve months.

Will Quince: There have been no sewage leaks recorded within in the last twelve months on the Department's estate.

Immunosuppression: Research

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to fund research into mucosal immunity.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to fund research into mucosal immunity.

Will Quince: The Department, commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Since 2018, the NIHR has allocated over £25 million in funding for a broad portfolio of immunology research that has included mucosal immunity as a consideration. Whilst it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions, the NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including mucosal immunity.

Health Services: Anguilla

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Anguillan nationals have been treated in NHS facilities for specialised treatment in each of the past five years.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department (a) provided in the 2022-23 financial year and (b) will provide in the 2023-24 financial year for the healthcare system in Anguilla; and if he will make a statement.

Will Quince: The Department works with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the UK Health Security Agency and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities to provide health system support to all Overseas Territories, including Anguilla. This includes practical and technical support to supply Covid-19 vaccines, therapeutics and antivirals, medical equipment, and support on workforce recruitment and retention. The Department also administers the NHS Quota System which allows Anguilla to refer five patients for a free course of National Health Service treatment not available on island. The following table shows the number of Anguillan nationals referred through the NHS Quota System and have received specialised treatment in NHS facilities over the past five years. YearNumber of Anguillan nationals referred to the NHS through NHS Quota System2023/2412022/2302021/2222020/2112019/200

Autism: Disadvantaged

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to help tackle health inequalities experienced by autistic adults.

Maria Caulfield: We published our refreshed national autism strategy in July 2021. The strategy was backed by over £74 million in the first year and is aimed at tackling the health and wider inequalities experienced by autistic people through improving understanding in society, reducing diagnosis waiting times and improving access to high quality health and social care for autistic people. We are also updating the Statutory Guidance on Autism to support the National Health Service and local authorities to deliver improved outcomes for autistic people.Each integrated care board is expected to have an Executive Lead for learning disability and autism who will support the board in addressing the health inequalities that people with a learning disability and autistic people experience.In January 2022, the scope of the ‘Learning from lives and deaths – People with a learning disability and autistic people programme’ (LeDeR) was expanded to include autistic people as well as people with a learning disability. This programme enables us to build up a detailed picture of key improvements needed, both locally and at a national level, to reduce the inequality in life expectancy for these groups.In addition, from 1 July 2022, the Health and Care Act 2022 requires Care Quality Commission registered providers to ensure their staff receive specific training on learning disability and autism appropriate to their role. We are rolling out the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism to support this. This training will help to ensure that staff have the right skills and knowledge to provide safe and compassionate care for autistic people, which will play an important role in tackling health and care inequalities.

Neurodiversity: Advocacy

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to make provision for neurodivergent adults to receive advocate support to (a) access health care and (b) attend health appointments.

Maria Caulfield: We want all neurodivergent adults to be able to access health care when they need it. Advocates can play a crucial role in making sure people’s views are listened to, and that their rights are upheld. The Department and NHS England invested £4.5 million in 2021/22 to carry out a review of advocacy for people with a learning disability and autism in a mental health inpatient setting and to support a number of advocacy pilots and an evaluation of the most effective ways of working. A report on the findings of the advocacy review outlining recommendations will be published in due course.Health services should make reasonable adjustments to care for people who have a disability in line with the Equality Act 2010. NHS England are developing a Reasonable Adjustments Digital Flag which will show on a person’s health record that they may need reasonable adjustments. Reasonable adjustments can include allowing for advocate support to assist with accessing health care and attending health appointments.From 1 July 2022, the Health and Care Act 2022 requires Care Quality Commission registered providers to ensure their staff receive specific training on learning disability and autism appropriate to their role. We are rolling out the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism to support this. This training will help to ensure that staff have the right skills and knowledge to provide safe and compassionate care, including how to provide reasonable adjustments, for autistic people, which will play an important role in tackling health and care inequalities.

Vaccination: Integrated Care Boards

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of integrated care boards commissioning local vaccination programmes.

Maria Caulfield: Officials from the Department meet regularly with colleagues from NHS England and UK Health Security Agency to discuss a variety of issues across the current and potential future immunisation programmes.

Autism: Health Services

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of local authorities do not have specialist autism teams in (a) England and (b) Wales.

Maria Caulfield: Information on how many and what proportion of local authorities currently do not have specialist autism teams in England. The last available data for England was published in the latest Autism Self-Assessment Framework (SAF) in 2018. The SAF was a voluntary data collection exercise, which asked several questions to local authorities in England about how they were implementing the national ‘Think Autism’ Strategy locally. This included questions about whether their diagnosis services were integrated with mainstream statutory services with a specialist awareness of autism for diagnosis or a specialist autism specific service. 81% of responding authorities stated that they had a specialist service.Each integrated care board is expected to have an Executive Lead for learning disability and autism to support them to deliver care and support for autistic people in their area. NHS England recently published statutory guidance on these Executive Lead roles.

Department for Business and Trade

Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership on levels of trade for UK businesses in each of the next five years.

Nigel Huddleston: Joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) could boost the UK economy by £1.8 billion each year and increase UK exports to CPTPP by £1.7 billion in the long run according to our published scoping assessment.When the UK’s accession enters into force, UK businesses will be able to trade with all CPTPP members on preferential terms and the Government will support British businesses in seizing the opportunities created by our membership of CPTPP.Accession could enhance the already strong trade links between Northern Ireland and CPTPP members, which for Northern Ireland goods exports alone was worth over £900 million in 2022.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

United Nations: Health Services

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether a minister will attend the UN High-level meeting on universal health coverage in September 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: UK Ministers are looking forward to attending the 2023 UN General Assembly in September and will ensure high representation at the three global health high-level meetings (HLM) on universal health coverage, TB and pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.Universal health coverage is a priority for the UK and we are with partners, working to use the high-level meeting as an important opportunity to revitalise political commitment to and drive stronger action toward achieving universal health coverage by 2030. Exact UK Ministerial representation across the three HLMs will be confirmed in due course.

Gender Based Violence

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the policy paper entitled International women and girls strategy 2023 to 2030, published on 8 March 2023, what steps his Department is taking with (a) girls and (b) boys across the world to (i) prevent and (ii) tackle gender-based violence.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Ending gender-based violence (GBV) is a priority for the UK and is a core pillar of the FCDO's International Women and Girls Strategy. We are investing up to £67.5 million in the What Works to Prevent Violence: Impact at Scale programme, the first global programme scaling up proven approaches to prevent GBV. Through the programme we will work with girls and boys, for example in schools, to shift attitudes and behaviours and promote healthy relationships. We are also working with girls and boys through the UN Global Programme to End Child Marriage, which engages adolescents across 12 countries in meaningful community dialogues on gender equality and the rights of adolescent girls.

Education: Teenage Pregnancy

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to embed support and advocacy for pregnant girls and teenage mothers into the UK’s global education priorities.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The FCDO is committed to addressing barriers to education. Through the UK-led Girls' Education Challenge (GEC), over 64,000 girls excluded from school due to becoming mothers are now in education. In 2022, the GEC conducted research with pregnant girls and adolescent mothers and then published the findings, setting out how to support them to thrive in school. This includes listening to the girls, reducing financial barriers to education, strengthening systems to support these girls to complete their education and ensuring policies actively encourage their participation. In this way we can ensure these girls can continue to receive a quality education.

Afghanistan: Hazara

Paul Bristow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support his Department is providing to Hazaras in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Leo Docherty: FCDO officials regularly press the Taliban to protect religious and ethnic minorities, including Shia Muslims and Hazara communities. We are working with international partners to ensure credible monitoring. In October, we co-sponsored a Human Rights Council resolution to extend the UN Special Rapporteur's mandate. His recent report included an assessment of the violence and threats against religious minorities and the situation for Hazara communities. In December, the Minister for South Asia, Lord [Tariq] Ahmad of Wimbledon, met representatives from Hazara community groups.

Lebanon: Development Aid

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support his Department is providing to Lebanon.

David Rutley: Lebanon is experiencing a severe economic and humanitarian crisis. Since 2011, the UK has provided over £850 million in humanitarian, development, and stabilisation assistance in Lebanon. This includes providing non-formal education services to over 150,000 vulnerable children, and humanitarian cash assistance to over 160,000 Syrian refugees and supporting Lebanese communities hosting refugees to improve infrastructure and services. The UK is also a long-standing supporter of the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces to maintain Lebanon's security internally and on its borders. We will continue to support the most vulnerable but is clear that Lebanon's leaders must deliver economic reforms to alleviate the crisis and set the country on a path to long-term economic stability.

Iran: Baha'i Faith

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to the Iranian government on respect for the (a) burial rites for deceased Baha’is and (b) rights of their families to bury them and mark their graves in accordance with their beliefs.

David Rutley: The Baha'i community in Iran is systematically discriminated against, harassed and targeted by Iranian authorities. The UK Government agrees with the UN Special Rapporteur for Iran Human Rights' latest assessment that destruction of Baha'i cemeteries and prevention of proper burial for Baha'i is representative of Iran's deeply unjust judicial system. We raise human rights issues with Iran at all appropriate opportunities, including freedom of religion or belief (FORB).

Iran: Israel

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent conversations with his Iranian counterpart on Iranian (a) financing of Hezbollah and (b) involvement in recent rocket strikes to Israel.

David Rutley: The UK Government regularly assesses the impact of Iran's destabilising activity throughout the region, including its political, financial and military support to several militant and proscribed groups, including Hizballah. Such activity compromises the region's security, its ability to prosper and escalates already high tensions, with consequences for the international community. It is for this reason that we currently have over 300 sanctions in place against Iran. Hizballah and other terrorist groups must cease all actions that are violent or provocative, or that put civilian lives at risk. As the Foreign Secretary said in his 14 May statement, we welcome the current Egyptian-brokered ceasefire and urge all sides to de-escalate tensions.

International Cooperation: Disputed Territories

Paul Bristow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his Department's policy is on Government attendance at international summits hosted in disputed territories.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The FCDO does not have a fixed policy on whether to attend international meetings in disputed territories. Attendance is assessed on a case-by-case basis in accordance with UK interests.

Lebanon: British Nationals Abroad

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of British nationals in Lebanon.

David Rutley: There is no requirement for British nationals to register with the British Government before travelling to Lebanon. As such, we do not hold an official total of British nationals in Lebanon. However, FCDO consular officials work with the Lebanese authorities and travel providers to establish rough estimates of the numbers of British nationals in Lebanon. We estimate that there are over 10,000 British nationals and dependents in the country at any one time. We urge any British National travelling to Lebanon to check the latest travel advice. (https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/lebanon)

Riad Salameh

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department’ has made of the implications for his policies of the (a) investigation of and (b) Interpol arrest warrant for the Governor of the Lebanese Central Bank.

David Rutley: We cannot comment on ongoing judicial matters. It is also HMG's long-standing policy to neither confirm nor deny (NCND) the existence of an INTERPOL Red Notice or Diffusion against any named individual. However, the UK encourages all states to comply with their international commitments to combat corruption. Corruption, whether in politics, the judiciary, the financial sector, or elsewhere, undermines the most basic principles of democracy and rule of law, and ultimately affects ordinary people most adversely. The UK Government is clear about the unacceptability of these practices and welcomes efforts to hold those responsible accountable. The Lebanese Government must act to tackle corruption and ensure transparent and accountable government.

Bahrain: Technical Assistance

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government plans to continue to provide technical assistance to the (a) Ministry of Interior, (b) Ministry of Interior Ombudsman and (c) Special Investigations Unit of Bahrain through (i) the Gulf Strategy Fund and (ii) other means.

David Rutley: The FCDO supports Bahraini-led reforms in a range of areas, including security and justice. All assistance is delivered through implementing partners under the Gulf Strategy Fund. The latest list of projects in Bahrain for Financial Year 2022/23 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/official-development-assistance-oda-fcdo-international-programme-spend-objectives-2022-to-2023/fcdo-gulf-strategy-fund-gsf.The FCDO will continue to support the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Interior's Ombudsman and the Special Investigation Unit of Bahrain in Financial Year 2023/24.

Syria: Refugees

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of Syrian refugees deported from Lebanon in the last year.

David Rutley: The UN and NGOs have reported an increase in operations by the Lebanese security forces to detain and deport Syrians in recent months. UNHCR have said that precise data is difficult to gather on exactly how many refugees are being deported from Lebanon. We agree with the UN's assessment that Syria is not safe for voluntary and dignified returns. We are engaging closely with partners and with the Government of Lebanon to emphasise the principle of non-refoulement, and that due process is followed to protect the rights of refugees.

Syria: League of Arab States

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for his policies of Syria re-entering the Arab League.

David Rutley: The UK's fundamental assessment remains unchanged. Engaging Assad in the absence of any evidence that his regime will change its behaviour will not help Syrians or the region. We therefore did not support Syria's readmission to the Arab League in current circumstances.The UK will maintain its policy of non-engagement until the regime engages meaningfully in the UN political process and shows sustained commitment to substantively changing its behaviour. We will continue to encourage our Arab partners that any further engagement with the regime is staggered and supportive of the conditions set out in UNSCR 2254.

Libya: IRA

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress has been made on the Shawcross Report.

David Rutley: The UK Government reiterates its sympathy for UK victims of Qadhafi-sponsored IRA terrorism and indeed for all victims of the Troubles. The Government set out its position on Mr Shawcross's report on compensation for UK victims of Qadhafi-sponsored IRA terrorism in a Written Ministerial Statement made on 23 March 2021. Mr Shawcross's report was commissioned as an internal scoping report, to provide internal advice to Ministers. Its content is based on private, confidential conversations and information shared on this basis. The Government will not be publishing the report. The responsibility for providing compensation specifically for the actions of the Qadhafi regime lies with the Libyan State. The Government has repeatedly urged the Libyan authorities, including at the highest levels of the Libyan Government, to engage with UK victims and their representatives, and to address their claims for compensation.

Iran: Sanctions

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what sanctions are imposed on Iran for their financing of Hezbollah.

David Rutley: The UK Government condemns Iran's financial support to militant and proscribed groups, including Hizballah which compromises the region's security and escalates already high tensions, with consequences for the international community. In 2019, the UK made its position clear by proscribing Hizballah in its entirety and put an asset freeze in place due to Hizballah's terrorist activity. We support the enforcement of UN prohibitions on Iranian weapons proliferation to non-state actors, including to Hizballah (UNSCR 1701). Our assessment remains that a sovereign Lebanon with strong institutions is the best way to tackle Hizballah's influence in Lebanon.

Financial Services: Bermuda

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support his Department (a) provided in the 2022-23 financial year and (b) will provide in the 2023-24 financial year for the financial services industry in Bermuda; and if he will make a statement.

David Rutley: The UK Government are working to support the Overseas Territories to meet the highest standards in financial services policy. Bermuda, like other Overseas Territories, share confidential company beneficial ownership information with UK law enforcement. The Government of Bermuda prioritised work to meet international financial standards, and in 2020 received one of the highest technical compliance ratings of any jurisdiction following a review by the Financial Action Task Force of its work to combat illicit finance.

Financial Services: Anguilla

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support his Department (a) provided in the 2022-23 financial year and (b) will provide in the 2023-24 financial year for the financial services industry in Anguilla; and if he will make a statement.

David Rutley: The UK Government are working to support the Overseas Territories to meet the highest standards in financial services policy, this includes technical support to Anguilla to build local capacity on international taxation standards, sanctions enforcement and combatting illicit finance. The FCDO have also funded a new register for company beneficial ownership in Anguilla.

Home Office

Action Fraud

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with what she intends to replace Action Fraud.

Tom Tugendhat: We are replacing the Action Fraud service to create a more efficient new system that will provide better intelligence to forces. Improvements include:Increasing the number of staff in the call centre,Expanding the reach of victim care services, including for the most vulnerable,Sending cases to forces faster and better progress updates on cases.These improvements, which have been tested across the victim support landscape, law enforcement agencies, and other relevant bodies, will improve the support services and reporting tools for victims, provide greater intelligence and insight to policing for investigations, and allow for greater proactive work to prevent and disrupt fraudsters at scale. The new service expected to be fully operational by early 2024.In the meantime, we continue to work closely with the City of London Police, who manage the service, and a number of improvements to the existing system have been put in place over the last year to ensure a smooth transition to the new service.

Visas: Sudan

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to decrease the waiting time to process family reunion applications for individuals from Sudan.

Robert Jenrick: We are committed to improving and speeding up processing times for family reunion applications. We prioritise all applications where the application has been made by an unaccompanied child, under the age of 18. We will also prioritise applications where there is an evidenced urgent or compelling reason.

Grey Wolves

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of proscribing the Grey Wolves as a terrorist organisation.

Tom Tugendhat: Whilst the Government keeps the list of proscribed organisations under review, we do not routinely comment on intelligence and security matters, including whether or not an organisation is under consideration for proscription.

Rape: Convictions and Prosecutions

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of reports of rape resulted in a (a) charge and (b) conviction in each of the last three years.

Miss Sarah Dines: The Home Office collects and publishes official statistics on the investigative outcomes, including charges, of rape offences recorded by the police in England and Wales, on a quarterly basis.These can be accessed here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tablesThe Ministry of Justice collects and publishes information on outcomes (including convictions) by offence, which can be accessed here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2022The number of charged/summonsed, and as % of the total number of outcomes, for rape offences recorded in the period by the police in England and Wales, 2019/20 to year ending December 2022 (excluding GMP and Devon and Cornwall police), source: Home Office, Police recorded crime:YearChargedProportion (%) of investigative outcomes which result in charged/summonsed2019/202,3304.52020/212,9045.52021/222,9115.1YE Dec 20212,8405.3YE Dec 20223,4465.8

Anti-social Behaviour: Caravan Sites

Paul Bristow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that local police forces use their powers to (a) tackle anti-social behaviour on illegal traveller encampment sites and (b) prevent the creation of those illegal encampments.

Chris Philp: This Government recognises the misery that unauthorised encampments can cause and that is why we have delivered on our manifesto commitment to give the police the powers they need to tackle those people on unauthorised encampments who cause harm.Through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, we introduced a new criminal offence for those who cause or are likely to cause significant damage, disruption and distress, without first requiring a police direction. This enables the police to take quicker and more effective enforcement action where significant harm is happening.The measures also extend the powers of the police to direct trespassers to leave land.How police use these powers is an operational matter for the Chief Constable of each local force. The Home Office liaise regularly with the National Police Chiefs Council regarding how these powers are being used.

Animal Experiments: Cosmetics

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of existing legacy licences for testing exclusive-use cosmetics ingredients on animals on animal welfare.

Chris Philp: The Government is engaging with the relevant companies to urgently determine a way forward on legacy licences.All establishments licensed to breed or supply animals, or to carry out regulated procedures on animals under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in Great Britain are subject to the full requirements of the Act. This provides for a regulatory regimen of activities that protects animals in science including audits and inspections by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit to ensure compliance with the terms of their licences, the Code of Practice and with the Act.Both announced and unannounced site visits are undertaken within a risk-based framework to assure compliance and inspect the welfare, health, and environment of animals at each establishment.

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many sewage leaks have been recorded within their Department's estate in the last twelve months.

Chris Philp: The Home Office does not report the information sought to the level of granularity required.To identify if any sewage leaks have been recorded within their Department's estate in the last twelve months, the Home Office would require to contact each building, port and airport.This can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Cabinet Office

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many sewage leaks have been recorded within the estate of the Prime Minister's Office in the last twelve months.

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many sewage leaks have been recorded within their Department's estate in the last twelve months.

Alex Burghart: The Cabinet Office currently operates in 32 different sites across the UK. There have been 4 small scale sewage leaks within the Department’s office estate within the last 12 months. 2 in York and 2 in London due to exceptionally heavy rainfall.Estate management of the Prime Minister’s Office falls under the Cabinet Office. No sewage leaks occurred within the PMO estate in the last twelve months.

Cabinet Office: Equality

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people were employed by his Department to work on matters relating to equality, diversity and inclusivity in (a) 2021 and (b) 2022.

Jeremy Quin: The Cabinet Office does not specifically record the data that is requested.

Nuclear Test Veteran Community Fund

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what programmes the Nuclear Test Veteran Community Fund is funding.

Johnny Mercer: This Government is committed to ensuring that the veterans of Britain’s nuclear testing programme are never forgotten. We are therefore investing £450,000 into projects, including through the NTV Community Fund, which will commemorate and build further understanding of the experiences of this cohort who ultimately kept Britain safe for decades. Applications to the NTV Community Fund are being considered and the successful applicants will be announced in due course.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Equality

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were employed by his Department to work on matters relating to equality, diversity and inclusivity in (a) 2021 and (b) 2022.

Mims Davies: The Department for Work and Pensions has a dedicated team of people working on matters relating to equality, diversity, and inclusivity. In March 2021 there were 23 colleagues working on the team. This was increased to 30 colleagues by March 2022.

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many sewage leaks have been recorded within their Department's estate in the last twelve months.

Mims Davies: The DWP can confirm that there have been no sewage leaks reported to the water authorities within the Department’s estate in the last twelve months. There have been 25 minor sewage leaks across the estate in the period, generally relating to individual toilets and blocked pipes.

Ministry of Justice

Administration of Justice

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make a comparative assessment of the effectiveness of judicial arrangements (a) before and (b) after the commencement of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005.

Mike Freer: The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 underpins existing arrangements. It made the Lord Chief Justice the head of the judiciary and transferred to that office a number of judiciary-related functions previously vested in the office of Lord Chancellor. The Act therefore shared responsibilities for the administration of justice between the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice, and it continues to provide the statutory footing for their partnership. The Act also created the independent Judicial Appointments Commission. The appointment of judges is in general a shared area of responsibility, though the Lord Chancellor and Lord Chief Justice have different roles at different levels of the judiciary. It is not a current priority to review the arrangements that resulted from the 2005 Act or to assess whether further legislative changes might be necessary. The Lord Chancellor remains committed to maintaining an effective partnership with the judiciary within the existing legal framework.

Trials

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of cases in which the time taken between the commission of the alleged offence and the complaint leading to trial has taken (a) 12 to 23, (b) 24 to 35, (c) 36 to 47, (d) 48 to 59, (e) 60 to 71 and (f) 72 months and over in each year since 2010.

Mike Freer: We have interpreted your request as being the duration of time from offence to main hearing for cases that go to trial at the Crown Court. The number of defendants dealt with at the Crown Court grouped by duration from offence to main hearing from 2014 to 2022 can be found in the attached table. Information on the time from offence to main hearing are not available prior to 2014. Timeliness from offence to main hearing are taken from the point of offence committal through to the main hearing at the Crown Court and so are not necessarily a reflection of court or system performance. These are impacted by the reporting of non-recent and historic offences; offences reported several years after the incident can have a large impact on offence to main hearing timeliness measures. The outstanding caseload at the Crown Court, which rose during the pandemic and Criminal Bar Association action, is falling as a result of our commitment to ensuring swift and timely access to justice. We have opened extra courtrooms, lifted the cap on sitting days, and continued remote hearings, alongside quadrupling funding for victims’ services so victims get the support they need throughout the process. Number of defendants dealt with at the Crown Court (xlsx, 18.7KB)

Ministry of Justice: Ethnic Groups

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he is taking steps to ensure that the categorisations used by his Department for collecting data on the ethnicity of Gypsy, Traveller and Roma people are consistent with those used by the Office of National Statistics.

Mike Freer: We recognise the importance of more and better data when it comes to tackling disparities, and we have come a long way since the Lammy Review when it comes to monitoring and publishing ethnicity data. We believe the correct approach is to use the detailed 18+1 classification of ethnicity, and this is now adopted throughout the Courts, Prison, and Probation services.We are continually reviewing how we can improve the collection, distribution, and analysis of ethnicity data in the justice system, and currently we are focusing on ensuring a consistent approach with 18+1 the current standard.We understand that not everyone will be comfortable or confident about declaring their ethnicity at the point of entry into the justice system. His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) has therefore developed a Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) strategy to improve data collection, experiences and outcomes for GRT people in prison.

Northern Ireland Office

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many sewage leaks have been recorded within their Department's estate in the last twelve months.

Chris Heaton-Harris: We do not hold the information requested as we are tenants within multi-occupancy government hubs; Erskine House Hub is managed by HMRC and 1 Horse Guards Road is managed by the Government Property Agency (GPA).

Large Goods Vehicles: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had recent discussions with hauliers in Northern Ireland on the impact of the Windsor Framework on that industry.

Mr Steve Baker: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland meets regularly with Northern Ireland stakeholders, including representatives of the road haulage industry to discuss a range of relevant issues, such as the Windsor Framework. The Windsor Framework restores the free flow of trade from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, with a first-of-its-kind green lane that will enable goods destined for Northern Ireland to move easily without burdensome customs bureaucracy. Customs paperwork will be scrapped and replaced with data sharing of ordinary, existing commercial information. This information will be provided from sales invoices and transport contracts – information that businesses will already hold and use for the movement of goods.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Housing: Solar Power

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department is taking steps to reduce the average time taken to issue a smart export guarantee certificate under the microgeneration certification scheme to households that have newly installed solar panels.

Graham Stuart: Households with solar panels are required to have a certificate under the independent Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) to receive payment under the Smart Export Guarantee. These certificates should be issued by installers within 10 days of the system being commissioned. Households should contact the MCS Helpdesk if they do not receive their certificate within this period.

Housing: Solar Power

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the average time was to issue a smart export guarantee certificate under the microgeneration certification scheme to households that have newly-installed solar panels in the latest period for which data is available.

Graham Stuart: For consumer protection purposes, households are required to demonstrate that their solar panels and installer are suitably certified to receive payment under the Smart Export Guarantee. Certificates issued under the independent Microgeneration Certification Scheme should be issued by installers within 10 days of the system being commissioned.The Department does not hold data on the average time taken to issue an MCS certificate.

Treasury

Higher Education: Finance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the impact of the decision not to provide Higher Education Institutions with additional funding support from 2024 on the financial sustainability of (a) individual Institutions and( b) the sector; if he will make it his policy to fully fund the costs to such Institutions of the Superannuation Contributions Adjusted for Past Experience discount rate; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the costs to the higher education sector of participation in the Teachers' Pension Scheme; if he will make it his policy to work with the sector to develop financial mechanisms to help higher education institutions manage those costs in the long-term; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Davies: In recognition of the cost pressure a potential increase to employer contribution rates would bring to existing departmental budgets, the Government announced on 30 March its commitment to providing funding for employers whose employment costs are centrally funded. Higher education (HE) providers are not covered by this commitment. To not provide financial support is consistent with the decision to not fund a similar Teachers' Pension Scheme cost increase in 2019. Nevertheless, I do recognise that while the Office for Students’ (OfS) annual report on financial sustainability finds that university finances generally remain in good shape, there remains a wide spread of financial performance across the sector. The Department for Education and HMT recognise the importance of this issue and will continue discussions about the implications for HE providers. The Government will confirm its position on this issue in due course.

Personal Savings: Inflation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of inflation on the assets of long-term savers.

Andrew Griffith: The government recognises the importance of getting inflation down, and there are three key things the government is doing to deliver on the plan to halve inflation. Firstly, remaining steadfast in our support for the independent MPC at the Bank of England, as they take action to return inflation to target. Secondly, making difficult but responsible decisions on tax and spending so we are not adding fuel to the fire. Third, tackling high energy prices by holding down energy bills for households and businesses, alongside investing in long-term energy security. Both the Bank of England and the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecast that inflation will fall notably this year. The government recognises the challenges faced by households due to elevated cost of living and has provided support worth £3,300 per household on average, across 2022-23 and 2023-24.In addition, the Government has a number of savings tax reliefs to support to support savers. Individuals can save up to £20,000 into their ISA each year and coupled with the Personal Savings Allowance of up to £1,000 for basic rate taxpayers and up to £500 for higher rate taxpayers, around 95% of people with savings income pay no tax on that income. ISAs have been a well-regarded and highly utilised investment and savings vehicle for many. Around £72 billion was subscribed to Adult ISAs in 2020 to 2021. The government keeps ISA policy under review to ensure it remains and appropriate vehicle for savers.

VAT: Tax Thresholds

James Wild: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the number of businesses that are not required to register for VAT at the current threshold that would be required to register if the threshold were increased to (a) £90,000 and (b) £100,000 as of 23 May 2023.

Victoria Atkins: The numbers of VAT registered businesses in various turnover ranges can be found in Table 5a of this statistical publication on the GOV.UK website here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/value-added-tax-vat-annual-statistics. Out of a total of 2,554,470 businesses registered for VAT in 2021-2022, a total of 1,222,240 were voluntarily registered below the threshold, representing slightly less than half the total.

VAT: Tax Yields

James Wild: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the potential impact of increasing the VAT registration threshold by the retail price index in each year to March 2026 on annual VAT revenues.

Victoria Atkins: The UK has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU member state and the second highest in the OECD at £85,000. This keeps the majority of businesses out of VAT altogether. Any business with turnover of £85,000 or less does not have to register for VAT.  At Autumn Statement 2022 the Government announced that the VAT Registration Threshold would be frozen for two further years until March 2026. The Exchequer impact of this measure is shown in Table 4.2, Spring Budget 2023: Spring Budget 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). This costing has been certified by the Office for Budget Responsibility.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Hockey

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme on promoting, developing and widening access to field hockey.

Stuart Andrew: Supporting grassroots sport is a key government priority to ensure that everyone is able to access quality sport and physical activity opportunities, and enjoy the physical and mental health benefits that exercise provides.The Government has committed to delivering the facilities that every community needs, and is investing over £300 million across the UK between 2021 and 2025 as a step towards that ambition. This will promote and widen access to grassroots sports, including field hockey.England Hockey engages with the Football Foundation and wider partners on how they can work together and benefit from the Government’s investment in UK-wide multisport facilities. Sport England has also provided England Hockey with grant support to update their national facility strategy.

Sports: Cost of Living

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the impact of increases in the cost of living on access to grassroots and community sport.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to support (a) clubs and (b) other groups who deliver grassroots and community sports with increases in the cost of living.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of increases in costs for sports clubs on the level of youth participation in grassroots sport.

Stuart Andrew: Supporting grassroots sport is a key government priority. Last year, Sport England received almost £350 million from the Government and National Lottery to fund grassroots sports projects so that everyone is able to access quality sport and physical activity opportunities, and enjoy the physical and mental health benefits that exercise provides.There are a range of funding options available to sport clubs struggling with increased costs.Since its creation, Sport England’s Together Fund has invested more than £3.6 million into projects to support with the cost of living. Additionally, Sport England’s Active Together fund supports campaigns that encourage grassroots community sport and youth participation. Since 2020, the fund has committed £3.5 million to successful projects, with funding going towards supporting rising energy costs, ensuring that these activities remain affordable for communities.At the Spring Budget, the Government announced a £63 million package to address the cost pressures facing some public swimming pool providers, and provide investment in energy efficiency measures to make facilities sustainable in the long-term. This intervention aims to ensure that children and adults up and down the country have accessible opportunities to get active.

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many sewage leaks have been recorded within their Department's estate in the last twelve months.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport can confirm that there have been no recorded sewage leaks within the Department’s estate in the last twelve months.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Equality

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many people were employed by her Department to work on matters relating to equality, diversity and inclusivity in (a) 2021 and (b) 2022.

Sir John Whittingdale: Like all government departments, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport employs staff to meet our statutory obligations on equality including under the Public Sector Equality Duty. In 2021 the then Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport had four posts working on equality, diversity and inclusivity, and three posts in 2022.

Department for Transport

M4: Speed Limits

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the speed limit on the M4 eastbound along the route of the now defunct M4 bus lane has been reduced to 60 miles per hour.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons the M4 speed limit is 40mph near Junction 1 in both directions.

Jesse Norman: The 2002 Statutory Instrument set speed limits for sections of the M4 between J1 and 3 (various sections at 40mph, 50mph and 60mph). There is a recent SI that set the speed limit between J3 – J4 and this was to manage the air quality for this section so that it was compliant. The M4 between J3 -12 is a smart motorway and therefore the area between this stretch without a fixed speed limit is subject to a Variable Mandatory Speed Limit (VMSL).

Wales Office

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many sewage leaks have been recorded within their Department's estate in the last twelve months.

Dr James Davies: None.

Scotland Office

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many sewage leaks have been recorded within their Department's estate in the last twelve months.

Mr Alister Jack: The Scotland Office leases space in two buildings, Dover House in London and Queen Elizabeth House in Edinburgh. These buildings are managed by the Government Property Agency and HMRC respectively, who would hold any information of this nature.